Bootleg booze leaves nine dead

Istanbul - The death toll from drinking bootleg booze made from deadly methyl alchohol increased to nine from seven on Thursday, the Anatolia news agency said.

A further 44 people were still in hospital, 11 of them in critical condition, it added.

The counterfeited raki has become a major public health issue in Turkey where the aniseed-flavoured liquor is the national drink. Thousands of bottles of suspicious alcohol have been seized around the country.

Police raided a garage in Istanbul where bootleg raki was allegedly manufactured and reportedly arrested about a dozen people. Earlier, police were reported to have raided illegal factories in Istanbul and Sakarya and to have arrested several suspects.

The alarm started on Sunday, when four people died after a meal at a restaurant in a working-class district of Istanbul.

Although properly produced raki is freely available, its price has sharply increased because of higher taxes.